How deals work

Every deal on Sidequest follows the same idea: the person paying pays up front, Stripe holds the money, and it’s paid out once the job or handoff is done. Sidequest never holds your money itself. Fees and refunds are in the Fees & Refund Policy.

Quests

1. Post and pay. You set the pay ($1.00–$500.00 per person), how many people you need, and when it ends. You pay the full amount plus fees when you publish; Stripe holds it.
2. People apply. You get a notification for each application and can see their level, rating and completion rate.
3. You choose. Pick who you want. For a quest needing several people you can choose gradually; it stays open until every spot is filled.
4. Chat opens between you and each person you chose, so you can sort out the details.
5. The helper marks it done. You then have 72 hours to confirm or report a problem. If you do neither, the helper is paid automatically.
6. Payment is released to the helper through Stripe, in full — fees are paid by the poster, not taken from the helper.
7. Rate each other. Ratings are double-blind: neither of you sees the other’s until both have rated, or 14 days have passed.

If the quest ends before every spot is filled, the pay for the empty spots is refunded (see the Fees page for what that includes), and if you paid for Rush you get a free Rush credit back.

Paid items

1. The seller lists it with at least one photo and a public meetup spot.
2. You buy it. You pay the price plus card processing; the item is reserved for you and Stripe holds the money.
3. Meet up. Check the item before you take it. If it isn’t as described you can refuse it at the meetup and get the price back.
4. The seller marks it delivered. If they don’t within 72 hours, you’re refunded automatically and the item is relisted.
5. Confirm. You have 48 hours to confirm or report a problem, then the seller is paid automatically, in full.

Free items

1. First to claim gets it. No payment is involved.
2. Chat opens between the giver and the claimer for 7 days, to arrange pickup.

Chat

• Chat opens only once there’s a deal — after you’re chosen for a quest, buy something, or claim a free item. You can’t message someone before that.
• You can send text and up to 4 photos per message. Location data is removed from photos.
• When the deal is finished, chat closes to new messages but the history stays, for both of you. Messages can be used as evidence if there’s a dispute.

If something goes wrong

• Report a problem on the deal before confirming. Automatic payment pauses and a moderator looks at both sides, then decides on a full, partial or no refund.
• No-shows and cancelling by agreement have their own rules — see Fees & Refund Policy.